Moving the needle

Dear Industry Colleagues,

Last month in my inaugural “Letter from ASA President,” I discussed how ASA has pledged to build on the tremendous momentum the association has established over the last few years.

Although that momentum can be attributed to a great number of factors, two of the items that have really “moved the needle” for ASA have been its Education and Advocacy efforts. This month, I’d like to highlight some of the exciting things we are doing in both of those important areas.

As ASA University continues to expand, Amy Black and the staff of the ASA Education Foundation are diligently working with many of you on your training needs. ASA University is no longer simply a library of training resources available to the industry, but rather a more comprehensive member resource for performance management, coaching and training. As pointed out in ASA’s 2012 Year in Review, which was mailed to ASA members in January, the ASA membership now has full access to a team of training experts — available to help build company-specific programs and provide turnkey solutions for managing and maintaining those programs.

Building on that concept, ASA University recently introduced its ASAU Advisory Service. This new benefit not only creates and implements the above referenced training programs, but allows sharing of ideas about how companies can inspire employees on participation, identification of steps to maintain progress and much more. Moreover, comprehensive training tracks have been created specifically for ASA member companies; each easily customized to align with corporate goals, employee experience, budget and culture.

Other highlights include regular informational webinars on ASA University programs and services, the new 3D Commercial Schematic — Powerhouse offering, the new Essentials of Profitable Outside Sales in Distribution course and a brand-new Introduction to HVACR course to name just a few. If you are not currently taking advantage of these and/or the other many educational offerings available through ASA, you are certainly missing out. Do yourself a favor and visit www.asa.net/Education.aspx to review a full lineup.

In the area of Advocacy, since Dan Hilton came to ASA in December 2010 as a full-time staff member based in Washington, D.C., ASA has ramped up its outreach, communication and industry presence in our nation’s capital.

As part of ASA’s 2013 Legislative & Regulatory Agenda, the association will continue to lobby for tax reform, urging Congress to keep tax rates paid by individuals and corporations at similar, low levels. Also, ASA supports legislation regarding health-care reform, small business health plans and for the repeal of LIFO. In addition, ASA supports the Metal Theft Prevention Act of 2013, approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, and several labor management and workplace health and safety issues.

For the convenience of its members, ASA recently expanded its online Advocacy presence. Throughout the 2012 elections, ASA members were able to encourage their employees to register to vote online at www.asa.net, as well as see how their members of Congress voted on issues that the association supports. Visit www.asa.net/Advocacy.aspx for more details.

For further information on what ASA is doing in the area of Advocacy, see Dan Hilton’s article titled “A New Year, A New Congress — Unfinished Business” in this month’s ASA News section.